One more kuri gohan (chestnut rice)

Kuri gohan is one of the many classic Japanese rices, and well there are different versions.

Kuri is Japanese chestnut, slightly different from the European one (see here).
Sometimes it’s called gohan, as it’s standard rice. Other times, it’s okowa, which means it’s steamed sticky rice.

yaki kuri gohan (grilled)

kuri okowa

A more common style (from a commercial site I am not related to, I just needed to borrow a photo for a while) :
kuri source
That’s white rice cooked with chestnuts in syrup. That’s more like a dessert version. I like it too that’s I also… no, I’ve never cooked it so far. I eat it with pleasure when it’s served but I always end up with a grilled version.

The list is open… Add your oen version.

This time, it’s yaki (grilled), of course.

I have soaked the rice (half brown, half white) in water 24 hours, then added the grilled chestnuts with their inner skin, a glass of white wine, a dry chili pepper and a pinch of salt, and let one more night. Before starting the rice cooker, I’ve added goji berries.

Brochettes et marrons

Brochette is the French for skewer, and it’s usually meat and veggie ones. Then the season of kuri (Japanese chestnut)is open…

Small steak cuts of lean Japanese beef.

On skewers with onion and red sweet pepper. I’ve passed olive oil, salt, black pepper and thyme. Let one hour.

Then grilled.

The chestnuts roasted with a few small sweet potatoes.

This fiery soup is made in the blender with the cut outs of onion, red pepper, a glass of white wine, 2 tbs of sesame, 1 ts of miso. Then simmered a few minutes.

Marron berry chunky terrine

What about a thick slice of year-end terrine ? It’s full of whole sweet chestnuts, big bits of onion, and balanced with the light sourness of red goji berries. The texture is ideal.

Yes, that’s one more bean terrine. But this time it’s based on kuromame black beans.

Half mashed, half whole. Another secret ingredient ;
soba cha, buckwheat tea

I’ve added some (dry, not infused) for texture and the nutty taste. The terrine is not so good freshly baked, but after 1, or better 2 days in the fridge, the flavors mixed and set, it became firmer and easier to cut too.

It’s the season of these small Japanese kiwi. They look like the first kiwis we’d get in France when I was a kid, smaller and less colorful that those they sell massively now. The taste fresh and a little tart, flavorful, not overly sweet.

Two festive sides with marrons

Christmas before the Christ was the story of the longest night on Earth, grilling marrons in the fireplace. Just what we need in this cold. This colorful braised veggie dish…

… and nutty, baked chestnut croquettes.

This perfectly cooked crunchy red cabbage are a traditional Alsatian recipe, with apple, red wine and lots of time (see here).

Baked and coated in a sesame “dust”.

Kuri Dorayaki (via GiO)

The iconic Japanese pancake, chestnut version…

A dorayaki, it’s a set of 2 pancakes filled with anko (azuki bean jam). For the seasonal touch, kuri (chesnut) is added to the anko.

The tigered are called tora-yaki (tora is tiger). They are popular in Osaka as the local base-ball team is the Hanshin Tigers.